According to officials, 22 people have lost their lives in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras, as a result of the heavy rains and mudslides caused by the storm.

Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solis declared a national state of emergency to help those affected by the storm. On Thursday, Costa Rican authorities blamed the flooding for taking the lives of seven people and revealed fifteen others were missing. 40,000 people are said to be running without water in the country, while thousands were forced to relocate at shelters.

In Nicaragua, many bridges have been damanged as a result of the storm. “Sometimes we think we think we can cross a river and the hardest thing to understand is that we must wait,” Nicaragua’s vice president Rosario Murillo told the state radio. “It’s better to be late than not to get there at all.”

As the storm moves towards Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula late on Friday, the tropical storm continues to be a threat as forecasters predict that Nate will strengthen and become a hurricane.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Nate, which is expected to hit U.S. Gulf Coast, could cause three to six inches of rain.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a state of emergency ahead of the tropical storm. “We are taking the potential impacts of Tropical Storm Nate seriously and mobilizing all of the state’s emergency preparedness and response mechanisms for a full readiness should this storm severely impact our state,” Edwards said.